Delaro, a new fungicide from Bayer, was put to the test by farmers in the 2017 growing season in 500 field trials across 20 states.

According to Thorsten Schwindt, Bayer fungicides product manager, it passed with flying colors, providing broad-spectrum disease control in corn and soybeans, with dual mode of action residual and improved plant health.

Bayer is introducing Delaro in the U.S. for 2018. It has been used in Canada and is now labeled for U.S. use. “This fungicide features two modes of action — a strobilurin plus a triazole component,” Schwindt says. “Intended for both corn and soybeans, Delaro will help where strobilurin resistance could become an issue. Frogeye leaf spot has already shown resistance to strobilurin fungicides in soybeans.”

Delaro performed well in Iowa field
Schwindt says Delaro delivers longer-lasting control. It can be transported within the plant. You can expect 21 days of control once applied, he says. “Disease pressure was inconsistent across the country in 2017, and some growers were caught unprepared. Growers need a product that controls the worst yield robbing diseases and helps them get the most out of their corn hybrids and soybean varieties.”

Dan Durick, farming at McClelland in western Iowa, observed Delaro in a field trial on his farm last summer. A former National Corn Grower Association yield contest winner, Durick says he participated in the trial because he likes to try cutting-edge products and is always looking to outdo his yield from the year before.

“During the season you could look right out into the field and see where we applied Delaro,” Durick says. “Those corn plants were definitely healthier, and we didn’t have any disease issues. As I harvested my Delaro trial plots, I could still see some green in the field. We had 40- to 50-mile-per-hour winds a few weeks before harvest, and the Delaro plots were still standing.”

Diseases can clobber yields
“Corn and soybean diseases can devastate yields,” Schwindt says. He notes the extended performance growers see from Delaro is a result of both its triazole and strobilurin components. With both active ingredients working through the entire application interval, Delaro provides better performance and manages resistance, he says.

Additionally, the progressive movement of Delaro in the corn or soybean plant extends its protection of corn and soybeans in a way other fungicides can’t, he says. “This unique activity in the plant means more fungicide activity for preventive and curative defense. That makes it a powerful management tool for growers looking for improved plant health and who want to take their yields to the next level.”

Delaro available for upcoming season
“It’s pretty important that we outdo ourselves on yield year after year,” Durick says. “We always want to get better and do more with fewer acres. We are happy with our results with Delaro in 2017, and we plan on using it again next year in 2018.”

Bayer scientists designed Delaro to be different from what is currently in the marketplace, says Randy Myers, Bayer’s fungicide portfolio manager. “We invite growers like Dan Durick, who are always looking to take their yields to the next level, to talk to their local Bayer representative about Delaro for the 2018 season.”

For more information about Delaro and observations on how the product has performed in your area, Myers says growers can talk to their local Bayer representatives and retailers. To learn more, visit delaro.us.